Catch Me
by thedauntlesscookies
Summary: Percy Jackson is a junior at Half-Blood High. He has everything he could ever want and need, as long as he follows one simple rule: don't intermingle with the preps at Jupiter Academy. But when he meets Annabeth Chase, Vice President of Jupiter Academy, his world, and beliefs, are turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

"Now move it over to the left, yes! Right there, that's perfect!"

I stepped back from the painting I was hanging up and wiped my brow. It was way too hot to be redecorating the house, but it made my mom happy and that's all I cared about.

"So, that's it then, right?" I asked.

I turned to look at my mother who was sitting on the new couch which I, along with my mom's boyfriend, had brought up to the living room. The 'new' look was pretty cool, I guess. It was a bunch of different blues, greens, and whites, which looked surprisingly nice.

"Yes! Thank you so much Percy! It's really nice to bond with you before you go back to Half-Blood High," my mom said.

"Don't remind me about school starting," I said, flopping down on the couch.

"Hey, hey, hey, off the couch, it's new!"

I jumped at the sound of Paul's voice and my mom laughed.

"Hey Paul," I said.

"What's happening, Percy?" Paul asked.

I shrugged before heading off to my room. I didn't really feel like holding a conversation with Paul at the moment. I liked him and all, but he had been coming around the apartment more and more, and it made me a little uneasy.

Once I was in the safety of my room, I picked up my phone and avoided the temptation to text Grover. He and I had been best friends since kindergarten, and we usually spent our summer vacations at some kickass workout camp, but this year he was sent to the Midwest on some 'inner self discovery' trip so I was stag the whole summer. We occasionally texted back and forth, but at this trip they didn't allow cell phones so he had to sneak his in.

I scrolled through my contacts until I came across Leo Valdez's number. He and I were roommates freshman year at Half-Blood High, and at first he was the weirdest kid I had ever met. He would make the strangest things out of paper and pipe cleaners, but at a basketball game against Jupiter Academy, he and I found common ground with our shared hatred for the prep school.

"Yo Percy, I thought you died or something, what's going on?" Leo said when he answered.

"Yeah, no, it'll take a lot more than a boring summer to get rid of me," I said. "Want to meet up for pizza or something?"

There was a small pause before Leo answered. "Sure, where at?"

After we agreed on a pizza place, I grabbed my wallet and left a note for Paul and my mom before creeping out of the apartment. Once I was on the streets, I felt right at home. New York City, in my opinion, is the best place ever. There was never a truly boring day, since the city itself seemed to change each and every day.

"Percy! Hey, Perce!"

I turned at the familiarity of the voice calling my name, and broke into a wide grin when I saw that it was Grover. He had grown about two inches since the end of the year, and his usually disheveled hair was cut short and gelled.

"Man, what the hell happened to you?" I asked.

"The trip really changed the way I see myself," he said.

"Wow, tell me about it," I said. "I'm meeting Leo for some pizza, care to join?"

Grover nodded and we set off together towards Times Square. He filled me in on everything he did, and I'm not going to lie, the trip sounded amazing. The first couple of weeks Grover learned how to survive in the wild, and then he went on a 'spiritual journey' where he lived off of the land for two weeks and that totally

changed him somehow.

"Sounds awesome," I said, pulling open the door to Sal's.

I looked around the room for Leo when I saw him sitting in a booth with a really, really attractive blonde girl. She was wearing a Subway uniform and looked our age. Her hair was pulled back into one of those fancy braids and her eyes were a startling grey.

"Hey, look over there," I said.

"Whe-oh."

Grover and I stood in awe at the girl until I found myself moving slowly towards her.

"Hey, Leo, who's your friend?" I asked.

"Oh, hey guys!" Leo said. "Annabeth, this is Percy and Grover. Guys, this is Annabeth."

"Nice to meet you," Annabeth said, extending her hand out.

Her voice was low for a girl, and it had some sort of sharpness to it. Her eyes studied me as if they were reading my entire life story, and I found myself drawn to her.

"Mind scooting in?" I asked.

Leo rolled his eyes as Annabeth scooted in and I slid next to her. Grover sat next to Leo and looked over the menu.

"There are no vegetarian pizzas at this place," he complained.

I rolled my eyes at him and leaned in close to Annabeth.

"Know what you want to get?" I asked.

"Actually, I'm not eating here, I'm meeting up with some of my school friends in a couple of minutes," she said.

"Oh, really? What school do you go to?" I asked.

At that moment, a group of Jupiter Academy kids strutted in. Their leader, Jason Grace, led the way. He sported a purple Jupiter Academy tank top and black shorts, and he never looked more douche-like.

"Hey, Annabeth!" He bellowed.

"You know him?" I asked.

Annabeth stood and I scooted out of the booth to let her through. She hugged Jason before turning back to me and grabbing her backpack.

"Jase? Yeah, he and I go way back," Annabeth said. She turned her back before looking back at me and saying. "By the way, I go to Jupiter Academy."


	2. Chapter 2

About a month had gone by before I even talked to Leo again. He had introduced me to an incredibly hot girl, and then she went to the enemy school. Not only that, but Leo had 'forgotten' to inform me that his father was remarrying a rich woman who lived in the upper east side of Manhattan, and that woman just happened to have a daughter attending Jupiter Academy.

Once I had forgiven Leo, we were back at school. I was still partnered with him for the dorms, and I was sort of forced to communicate with him after I slept through three of my classes and forgot to do my homework twice.

"But Annabeth's pretty cool," Leo said one night at dinner. "She's not stuck-up like all the other preps. And she's a pretty good athlete."

"Probably why she's Jason Grace's girlfriend," I muttered.

Piper McLean glanced over at us before leaning in. "Are you talking about the Jupiter Academy guy? He's totally hot, isn't he?"

I rolled my eyes before stabbing my cheeseburger with a knife.

"If you like ego and asshole," I said.

Piper rolled her eyes and resumed the conversation she was holding with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Both girls were the school's biggest gossips, and when they put their heads together, they could come up with some pretty nasty rumors.

"She isn't dating Jason," Leo said. "She claims that her studies and sports come before relationships."  
>"Ha, how long did that last with Travis Stoll? Look at him," I said, pointing over at the boy in question.<p>

Travis Stoll had been our Valedictorian for the first two years of high school, but over the summer he had transformed from weirdo to hero. He had grown about four inches, gotten contacts, and began to workout. The first week of school he had gotten four detentions and a tardy to nearly every class.

"Two years, that's pretty good." Leo shrugged and piled a mound of peas into his mouth.

"So, do you guys want to hear the news about Jupiter Academy or should I save it for when you all need a laugh?" Grover slid into the seat beside me with a newspaper in hand.

I grabbed it from him and flipped to the inside page, where there was a picture of Jason Grace and Annabeth holding a trophy. Behind them was a whole group of athletic-looking kids and it was all really quite impressive until I read the head title.

"'Jupiter Academy Star Point Guard Jason Grace Caught for Juice,'" I read.

"Isn't that hilarious? The kid takes steroids," Grover said.

"I guess it would be if his punishment wasn't three months suspension from all sports," I said. "He should be expelled."

Grover rolled his eyes and snatched the paper back.

"At least he's not the perfect boy anymore," he said.

I shrugged before grabbing a handful of fries and shoveling them all in my mouth. What I really didn't find amusing was the picture they had used. If the article itself was just targeting Jason, then why would they even include the rest of the team members? Now it looked as if the whole blame was on everyone and not just the one guy.

"Man, why does your step-sister have to go to Jupiter Academy?" I asked Leo.

"Because her mom's rich?" Leo suggested.

Grover's ears perked up at that and he looked over at Leo. "Doesn't this make your dad a gold digger or something?"

Leo shrugged and ate another spoonful of peas. I flipped through the paper some more before Leo said. "If you want to really meet Annabeth sometime, you should go to the Subway on Fourth Street. She works there every Saturday."

"Why on earth would I go to that?" I asked.

Leo shrugged once again before adding some mashed potatoes to his plate. "Tomorrow's Saturday. And there aren't any sports tryouts or field trips so why not take a trip down?"

I gnawed on my cheek for a second before shaking my head.

"Absolutely not, she's a Jupiter Stupider," I said. "We don't intermingle with them."

Leo raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing. We sat in silence for a little before I retreated back to the dorm rooms. Being an upperclassmen now had its perks. The meal times were whenever we pleased, and the dorm rooms were significantly larger and nicer.

I flopped down at my desk with my Physics book and glanced over at Leo's side. He had taped some photographs to his wall of his family, and a couple of them had Annabeth in them. I smiled to myself when I saw her in ordinary clothes. She was definitely beautiful, there was no denying that. But she was still from Jupiter Academy, which meant she was most likely stuck-up and snobbish.

"But one meeting couldn't hurt," I said to myself as I drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke before Leo and pulled on a Half-Blood High T-shirt and sauntered down to breakfast.

I had weird dreams about going to see Annabeth, most of them ended up with her throwing some Italian bread at me while squeezing the tubes on the mayonnaise bottles yelling bloody murder. I hoped Leo was right and that she wasn't a total bitch, but a small part of my mind reminded me of Freshman Initiation.

The seniors at the time had gathered us all up on a Sunday and showed us a power point on the do's and do not's of our school. Number one on the do not's list was socializing with the enemy, otherwise known as Jupiter Academy. They were the rich, selfish brats living in the Upper East Side with tons of cash in their back pockets. They were the kids everyone wanted to be, but no one wanted to have. They stressed that no matter who the person, if they were a Roman, they would definitely hate us Spartans. No exceptions…but there was always one exception to a rule, right?

"Hey, Mr. Chiron?" I said.

The headmaster looked up from his table and sighed.

"Perseus, what did you do this time?" He asked.

"Nothing yet. I was wondering if it'd be okay if I spent the day in the city," I said.

Mr. Chiron raised his eyebrow before shuffling through his iPad. "You have no write-ups yet this quarter so I don't see why not. When you come back, check in again with me," he said.

I nodded briskly before leaving the building. Once I was on the streets, I began to head towards fourth. My heart pounded slightly at the thought of meeting Annabeth, which both motivated me to move forward and prevented me from taking those steps across the blocks. Once I stood in front of the Subway, I looked inside to see a head of blonde hair bent over at the counter, the owner scribbling something down on a pad. I took a deep breath before opening the door and heading in.

"Hey, I didn't know that there was a Subway here," I said.

Annabeth glanced up from her work and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, there's about a Subway on every block of this city. It is New York," she said.

"Whoa, you're a wise one, aren't you?" I said.

Annabeth stood straight and crossed her arms. I recoiled slightly at the menacing gaze she was giving me but I somehow found some courage.

"So, tell me about Jupiter Academy," I said, sitting on one of the tables.

"God, what are you doing? I just washed those and now you've got your grungy little ass on it," Annabeth said.

"Oh, sorry, Wise Girl," I said, though I made no movement to sit in a seat.

"Well, what do you want to know about J.A?" Annabeth asked. "The secrets? How to break in and pull some lame prank?"

I feigned surprise and leaned forward. "You think that lowly of us Spartans now, do you?"

"I don't think it, I know it," Annabeth said. "Leo's told me all about those stupid pranks you pull before games. It's a little immature, don't you think?"

"What about your boy Jason taking juice? Isn't that a little immature?" I asked.

"Oh please, Jason's not my boy," Annabeth said.

"You ditched him?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and continued to work on whatever she had been before. "I don't know what gave you an impression that Jase and I are dating, but I can guarantee you that Jase and I are just friends. Besides, he's got a girlfriend elsewhere," Annabeth said.

"But if he didn't, would you go out with him?"

"Possibly. But I'm very serious about my studies."

I rolled my eyes before walking over to the display case. "Interesting lettuce you have there."

Annabeth walked over to see what I was looking at and laughed.

"That's not lettuce, you idiot, that's seaweed," Annabeth said. "It's a new specialty."

I made a face before turning away.

"If you're so studious, Wise Girl, you should tutor me."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at me and leaned across the display counter.

"Why the hell would I tutor you?" She hissed.

"Because I need help, and you preps seem pretty smart, so why the hell not is the question," I said.

"Because we're enemies," Annabeth said.

"No one will have to ever know," I said.

Annabeth crossed her arms again and glared at me.

"No, I will not tutor a Spartan, not even if you paid me a million dollars," Annabeth said.

"Worth a shot," I said.

"Besides, aren't the boys a little more into this whole rivalry than the girls?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm pretty into it, I'm not going to lie. But if there's a spark, then hell with rivalries, right? I mean, it kept away Ronald and Jessica but they overcame it, didn't they?" I asked. Annabeth raised her eyebrows before laughing.

"Do you mean Romeo and Juliet?"

"Sure, the Shakespeare lovers."

"You know they both died, right?"

"Damn Leo," I groaned.

Annabeth shook her head before returning to the counter. I leaned against the glass case and watched her. When she worked, her eyebrows creased and she would suck in her cheeks. I smiled to myself before walking over to the door.

"Finally leaving now, are you?" Annabeth asked.

I chuckled a little before turning and leaning against the door, pushing it out slowly enough that I could see her one more time.

"Yeah, but don't think you've rid of me completely now," I said.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Annabeth said, a small smile creeping on to her face.

I waved dramatically to her before becoming one with the crowd hustling by, thinking only of future encounters with Ms. Annabeth.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week went by in a blur, which was unusual since school was usually pretty boring. Leo would sometimes cast me weird looks in the classes we shared, but we never got around to in-depth talking since most of our classes overlapped the other's free time, and he would be asleep when I would return from my night class.

I'd like to say that Annabeth had never once crossed my mind, but I'd be lying. She usually popped up in my dreams, but unlike the original Italian-bread-throwing-mayo-squirting original, it would be of her and me just strolling around the city without some feud of two schools between us. The other times she crept up in my mind was when I was trying to chat up some sophomore girl, but I could never follow through on arranging a date.

"Man, you are so whipped by this girl," Grover said one evening as we shot some baskets.

"I know, I've only had like…two conversations with her and already I'm dazed," I said.

Grover rolled his eyes and attempted at a 3-pointer.

"I don't get it man, you know the one rule," he said.

"I know, I know," I said. "But you're not shoving that in Leo's face, are you?"

Grover rolled his eyes and kicked a basketball that was rolling towards us. "Dude, they're step-siblings. What the hell are we supposed to do? Prevent him from going and seeing his dad on holidays? We're cruel but not that cruel."

"I guess," I said.

"Hey, Jackson."

I turned to see who called my name when Annabeth strutted in. She donned an old Half-Blood High sweatshirt and jeans, and her hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She had a ratty old grey Jansport backpack slung around one shoulder and she looked like every step was hurting her.

"Well if it isn't Miss Wise Girl," I said. Grover and I exchanged a silent look before he turned and walked out of the gym. He and Annabeth exchanged a polite 'hello' before he disappeared behind the doors.

Annabeth rolled her eyes before swinging her backpack around and pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper.

"Leo came by to visit me last night," she said. "And he brought this along with me. How the hell are you failing English?"

She smoothed out the paper and handed it over to me. I raised an eyebrow when I saw it was the English paper I had handed in a couple of days before, and it had mysteriously gone missing when the teacher handed them back.

"How did Leo get access to this?" I asked.

"Doesn't even matter. That's a one out of ten right there," Annabeth said. "And unless you're bad at math too, you should know that it's a ten percent."

I rolled my eyes and crumpled up the paper. I shot it to the basket, praying with all my might it would go in, and was sorely deflated when it fell a good three yards short.

"I know how to do all this crap, it's just not easy to put down on paper." I looked over her Half-Blood sweatshirt once more. "But the important question is how did you get a Half-Blood Spartans sweat shirt?"

Annabeth glanced down at it before shrugging.

"It's a decoy I got. I might find the pranks immature, but that doesn't mean I won't help my school," she said. "Besides, you've got so many kids here you probably won't even notice another."

"Possibly. Unless that other person reeks of prep school and money," I said.

"Isn't this a boarding school, Jackson?" Annabeth asked.

"Wiser than I thought," I smirked.

"So that means you must pay some sort of tuition if you live here," she said.

I rolled my eyes and picked up a ball at my feet. I dribbled a few times before shooting it to the basket, which, just to my luck, bounced off the rim.

"Wow, you know, I don't know why Jase would even bother with steroids. You're our biggest competition, and if the star can't even make a foul shot…" Annabeth trailed off, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Hey, shut up, alright? I've got a lot on my mind. If you haven't noticed, my grades aren't exactly up to par," I said.

"Exactly, which brings me back to why I'm even here." Annabeth pulled out a slip of paper and scribbled something on it. "If you ever need help, call me, alright? I'd never help a Spartan otherwise, but you're Leo's friend, and since Leo and I are related somehow now, I guess I could make an exception for you."

It took all my willpower to not snatch the paper from her hands and triumphantly walk around the school with it like a badge of honor. When I took it from her, I smiled at the delicate handwriting she had.

"Just don't call me on weekdays before nineteen hundred, and Saturdays' I'm at the Subway and won't get off until eighteen hundred, so other than that, call me," Annabeth said.

Without farther word, she turned and strutted out of the gymnasium, still walking with that slight pain in her step.

"Hey, Annabeth!" I called.

She turned and looked at me, her facial expression one of a deep loathing.

"What's with the limp?" I asked, pointing at her foot.

Annabeth's face flushed red for a second before she answered.

"None of your damn business, Jackson!"

Then she limped the remainder of the way out of the gym and into the hallway, gaining a couple of head turns from passing guys, before she disappeared into the streets of New York.


	5. Chapter 5

I called Annabeth on Sunday, and she answered after the fourth ring.

"Annabeth's phone," she said.

"Yo, Wise Girl," I said.

There was a long pause on the other end, and I was worried that she had hung up when she said. "God, when I gave you my number, I didn't expect you to call three days later."

"Well, you're in luck. I don't understand this calculus worksheet and I could really use some help," I said.

I stuck my legs up on the desk and waited for her say something. I could feel my heart pounding in my ribs, and I began to wonder in the back of my mind if this was a bad idea.

"Alright. Meet me at the Brooklyn Bridge at thirteen hundred," Annabeth said.

"Alright, what time is that at?" I asked, glancing at the clock.

"In twenty minutes basically," Annabeth said.

By the tone of her voice, I could hear her rolling her eyes. I smirked to myself and picked up my backpack. "Alright Wise Girl, I'll see you soon."

"This better not be some stupid ambush," Annabeth hissed before hanging up.

* * *

><p>I was staring into the East River's current when someone poked me in the side. I jumped slightly when I heard Annabeth laugh.<p>

"Are you ready to study calc?" She asked.

"Oh, totally. Calculus is the highlight of my day," I said.

"Watch the sarcasm," Annabeth said.

I opened my mouth to retort when she turned away from me and began to walk at a fast pace towards the park. I trotted after her, noting that she was sporting the royal purple and gold colors of Jupiter Academy. As much as the colors looked well on her, I couldn't help but think of how much the orange and blue of Half-Blood high would look much better.

"So you have some school spirit today?" I asked.

"Just in case this was some sort of trick, I wanted to be sure to be supporting my school," she said.

"Why the hell would I trick you?" I asked.

"Why the hell wouldn't you is the question," Annabeth muttered.

I followed her down the pathway and into a small clearing where only a few people were mingling around.

"So what don't you get?" Annabeth asked.

"Basically everything," I admitted.

We sat down on the grass and I pulled out my calculus binder. Annabeth shifted through my binder and crinkled her forehead when she came across a paper that had a bunch of food stains on it.

"What the hell do you do when you're working?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you not eat and do work at Jupiter?" I asked.

"No, because I usually have my work all done before meals," she said.

I rolled my eyes and moved closer to Annabeth while she shifted through some more of my papers.

"You know what I realized just now?" I said.

"Hm?"

"I don't even know your last name," I said.

Annabeth looked up for a second, wearing a clearly pained expression, before she shook her head. "I don't make a habit of using my last name."

I raised an eyebrow and leaned in a little closer. At the same time, Annabeth leaned back, so I had to quickly catch myself before I face-planted into the grass.

"Why not? Last names are awesome," I said.

"Some last names aren't, okay? Let's get back to calculus and just…focus," Annabeth sighed.

I shrugged and allowed her to teach me all the different ways to use whatever the hell we were doing. In all honesty, I knew exactly what to do for calculus. I was actually a top student at it, but after Annabeth gave me her number, I needed some sort of excuse to see her, and calculus seemed like the perfect decoy.

"You know what? I totally understand now, thanks Wise Girl!" I said. "You're truly wiser than I thought."

Annabeth glanced at her watch, which was old and beaten, before saying. "It's only been ten minutes, Jackson."

"You're just that good of a teacher," I said.

"Alright, well, if you really get it then, I say we stroll around the park," Annabeth said. "I told Headmistress Lupa that I'd be back by five, since I didn't count on you being a calculus wizard."

"I'm surprising, I know."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and stood up. She held out and hand, and I took it. I shouldered my backpack and we set off down the path.

"Who is Jason Grace dating?" I asked.

"He's dating a girl from a different school. He doesn't talk about her much, but he has a picture of them in his locker. She's pretty, I guess." Annabeth shrugged.

"You guess?" I asked.

"I mean, she isn't the girl I thought Jase would date. When we talked before, he always said he wanted someone strong and independent and into sports," Annabeth said. "This girl doesn't look like she's ever thrown a ball before and her life seems to revolve around clothes and shoes."

"Sounds like some girls at my school," I said, thinking of Rachel Dare and Piper.

"There's some at every school," Annabeth admitted.

We walked in silence for a little before something caught my eye.

"Hey, Wise Girl, isn't that your specialty at Subway down there?" I asked.

"What?"

"Your seaweed."

I pointed at the lump of green on the beach below us and Annabeth laughed.

"I guess, though I hope that that's not where we get it from," Annabeth said.

We stopped at a vending cart and I bought us both a pretzel. I figured that since I led Annabeth on this wild goose chase of me being awful at calc, I at least owed her some food. We walked as we ate, talking about everything to anything. I was surprised at how easy it was to keep a conversation going with her, since my past dating experiences had been somewhat disastrous due to lack of conversation.

"So what do you do at Half-Blood High?" Annabeth asked as we strutted down the pathway.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you have a student council or what?"

"Oh, yeah. A Council of Elders," I said. "It's basically a council consisting of all upperclassmen voted in by the headmaster and student body."

"Are you in it?" Annabeth asked.

"Sort of, I'm a representative for the basketball team, but I don't really have much say in anything," I said. "Do you have a council?"

"We have a senate, which consists of four representatives from each grade, and then a council," Annabeth said.

"Are you in it?"

"I'm Vice President," Annabeth said dismissively.

"Really? Not President? Let me guess, Golden Boy has that position," I said.

"No, actually. A girl named Reyna Avila does. Jase is just a rep for the junior class," Annabeth said.

"Impressive, didn't know I was in the presence of someone so official," I joked.

Annabeth punched my arm playfully before checking her watch.

"Oh, damn, it's four forty-five," Annabeth said.

"Seriously? You're joking," I said.

Annabeth shook her head and showed me her watch. I groaned and we began to walk towards Jupiter Academy. When we were three blocks away from it, Annabeth stopped and stood in front of my, blocking my path.

"You shouldn't go any farther unless you want Jase and Frank to water balloon you," Annabeth said.

I glanced down the street at the large, cobblestoned building with the Jupiter Academy logo beaming proudly on the side.

"Probably not," I admitted.

"Also, I know that this was just a ploy to hang out," Annabeth said.

"Oh yeah? How'd you figure that out?" I asked.

"You let me go through your notes, I saw you got an 'A' on nearly every single test," she said.

I leaned against the park railing and raised an eyebrow. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Surprisingly, yes, I did," Annabeth said. "But if any word gets out that we went on a date-"

"This is a date?" I asked, trying to keep the joy out of my voice but failing.

"Sure," Annabeth said.

She turned quickly and began to walk away when she stopped, turned back, and stormed up to me. We stared at each other for a good couple of minutes, me staring at her in an amused way, her staring at me in an almost angry way. When she kissed me, I felt as if all the bones in my body had suddenly melted to liquid and my brain became short-circuited.

Before I could even react, she pulled back and hissed "Don't tell anyone or else you're a dead man!" in my ear and stormed off towards Jupiter Academy.


	6. Chapter 6

I laid on my bed late that next Wednesday afternoon. I hadn't contacted Annabeth at all since our rendezvous on Sunday, and I was already feeling what I called 'Annabeth-withdrawal.'

I looked at my phone and hovered my finger over Annabeth's contact name. She had told me not to call her before nineteen hundred, but who the hell knew what time that was? I clicked on her phone and she picked it up on the tenth ring.

"Jackson, what the hell?" She hissed.

"Hey, Wise Girl! Always good to hear your voice," I said.

"Oh, please. I told you not to call be before nineteen hundred," Annabeth said.

"Alright, who the hell knows that time?"

"I do, actually. And it's military time," Annabeth said. "Subtract twelve from the number and you have the normal time."

"Oh, so I'm only three hours off," I said, glancing at the clock on my phone.

"God, you're lucky I don't have a class right now," Annabeth said.

"Really? What are you doing?" I asked.

"I _was _studying in the library," Annabeth said. "But my phone went off and I had to escape before Octavian caught me."

"Who?"

"Octavian. He's a senior rep in the senate, and he's got it in for me and Reyna," Annabeth said.

"Really? I'm sorry, Annabeth," I said.

"No, it's fine. Rey and I are big girls, we can handle ourselves," she said.

I glanced at the clock once more and smiled to myself.

"Do you have any classes the rest of the day?" I asked.

"No, do you?"

"I have a night calculus class, but I might consider skipping. I'm suddenly not feeling all that great," I said.

Annabeth's side of the phone when quiet for a couple of seconds and then she said. "Alright, I'll meet you at Central Park in twenty. Keep your phone on you so I can find you."

"Sounds like a plan, Wise Girl," I said.

* * *

><p>I met Annabeth by the zoo, and I felt my heart do jumping jacks when I saw her. She wore a grey beanie and red flannel shirt, and she had on a pair of thick black glasses. She was looking down at a zoo brochure, and her hair fell in front of her face.<p>

"Hey, Wise Girl," I said.

Annabeth looked up and smiled.

"What's up Jackson?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders before slinging my arm around her.

"Want to go through the zoo?" I asked.

"Sure. Almost everyone is in a class right now at Jupiter Academy, so we should be safe," Annabeth said.

"Alright," I said.

I paid for our zoo entrance much to the reluctance of Annabeth, and we both agreed to go and check out the penguins.

"So, who's this Octavian kid?" I asked.

Annabeth pulled out her phone and brought up a picture of a large group. She zoomed in on a weedy looking kid with straw hair. He had a thin pale face and it looked like I could break him with just one pinch.

"Oh, he's not intimidating," I said.

"Physically, no. But this kid is mentally and emotionally unstable." Annabeth tucked her phone away. "He's a bit of a threat."

I slung my arm around Annabeth's waist, and was pleasantly surprised when she did not smack my hand away, but instead moved closer.

"Nothing you can't handle," I said.

"I guess not," Annabeth admitted. "But the Roman's rule is to not socialize with Spartans, so if we're caught—"

"We're dead," I finished. "Don't worry, I know the risks."

Annabeth sighed and leaned more into me. It was weird how natural this felt. I had only met this girl about two months ago, but here we were now, acting as if we had known each other for our whole lives. I felt safe with her, and I didn't care she was a Roman.

"I wish we didn't go to opposing schools," Annabeth said. "I've come to actually miss your company."

I grinned down at her and directed us down a path with a sign that pointed to the penguin exhibit.

"I've gone through some serious Annabeth-withdrawal," I said.

"Crazy, isn't it?" Annabeth said. "We just met, and already I feel attached to you."

I opened the door to the penguins, allowing Annabeth to go through first. I did this mostly to hide how ecstatic I was that she felt as attached as I did. It wasn't one-sided at all.

"Hey, Percy, look." Annabeth pointed at a penguin that was eating a clump of seaweed. "That penguin's brain is on seaweed, sort of like you."

I squinted at the little guy and smiled. "That's why he's my spirit animal, Wise Girl."

"Oh, ha, ha," Annabeth said. "Your brain is full of seaweed."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. A Seaweed Brain, that's what you are," Annabeth said.

She moved on down the room and I leaned against the railing, watching her move. When she walked, she still had that little limp. It wasn't as noticeable as it had been the previous week, but it still was there.

"Care to tell me what happened to your leg now?" I asked.

"Not really," Annabeth called over her shoulder.

"Did that Octavian guy do it to you?"

Annabeth was silent for a little before turning and shaking her head. "No, no, he didn't do it."

I walked next to her frowned. She avoided my eyes, and I felt a dropping feeling in my stomach. Someone had touched Annabeth, and they had hurt her. My first guess would have been Jason, since I read somewhere that a side effect of steroids is immense anger. But now that she told me about this Octavian kid, I wasn't so sure.

"Alright, well, want to go see the seal show? On here it says it'll start in like…fifteen minutes," I said, checking the brochure.

"Sounds fun," Annabeth said.

We exited the penguin house and walked in silence for a little. I held Annabeth's hand the whole way, and despite there not being a lot of people, I felt annoyed when a family would show up and Annabeth and I would have to separate for a second.

When we arrived at the seal show, Annabeth excused herself to go to the restroom. I waited in the line to go in for her when I spotted Piper McLean a few people in front of me.

"Piper?" I called.

Piper turned sharply and her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Percy? What…why are you here?" She asked. "Don't you have a night class?"

"I skipped, told Chiron that I wasn't feeling good and I wanted to see my mom," I said. "What are you doing here?"

Piper opened her mouth to respond when the devil himself appeared next to her. Jason didn't notice me standing there and he wrapped his arms around Piper, pulling her close.

"Hey, Pipes, sorry to keep you waiting but—"

Jason never finished his thought, because as he was talking he followed Piper's eyes over to me. His face paled, and he released Piper quickly.

"Oh, God, no. What are a bunch of Spartans doing here?" He bellowed.

"Seaweed Brain, you'll never guess, I thought I just heard—Jason?"

I closed my eyes and prayed to every single God that existed that this was not happening right now. Jason Grace and Piper McLean running into Percy Jackson and Annabeth whatever-her-damn-last-name-is.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jason asked, his face turning red from either embarrassment or anger.

"I could ask you the same question!" Annabeth retorted.

"You're going out with this…this _Spartan_?" Jason spat the word as if it were the worst possible thing I could be.

"Watch it, your girlfriend's a Spartan," I said sharply.

Annabeth looked at Piper, then back at Jason, then at me. She took a deep breath and exhaled deeply.

"Alright, no, this is a dream," Annabeth said. "Just a damn nightmare."

The line around us began to enter the seal show, many of the people looking at us confusedly or disapprovingly. I didn't know and didn't care. It had never even once occurred to me that other Spartans and Romans could be dating. It never seemed possible…until now.

"Wait, hold up," I said.

Annabeth and Jason both shot daggers at me, and I felt as if someone had just swiped a rug from underneath me.

"Let's make a deal," I said cautiously. "We won't tell about you two, if you don't tell about us two."

Jason straightened his posture and Piper clung to his arm. They were pretty cute together, and I could see how Piper needed a guy like Jason in her life.

"Jay, it sounds like a good plan," Piper said.

Jason glanced over at her and sagged his shoulders. We all knew the consequences of our illegal rendezvous, and none of us really wanted to actually face them.

"Fine," Jason said.

I held out my hand, and we did a silent stand-off for a second, before he firmly grasped my hand and then released it quickly.

"Just don't follow us," Jason hissed before entering the seal show.

Annabeth and I ended up skipping the seal show and going out for a bite to eat. She was silent the whole time, and I could sense a storm working inside those grey eyes.

"Do you want to tell me what you're thinking about?" I finally asked after we threw out our trash.

I held her hand on the way up to the zoo entrance, and I was disappointed to find it was limp and cold.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore," Annabeth whispered.

"What?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and Annabeth stood in front of me. I held both of her hands tightly, not wanting to let go.

"I've really enjoyed myself," Annabeth said slowly. "But today we were lucky that Jason and Piper won't tell. What happens when it's another day but it's with Frank or Octavian?"

"Or Nico or Rachel Dare," I added.

Annabeth nodded, despite not knowing those people. I saw her eyes get watery, and I pulled her in for a hug. She cried softly into my chest, and I tried hard to not cry too. We had met less than two months ago, talked less than five times, and gone on less than three dates. I shouldn't be this screwed up over it, but I was.

When Annabeth pulled away, she wiped her eyes and I blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears welling up in my own eyes.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she whispered.

"So does this mean no contact whatsoever?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded, and I looked away from her. I felt my heart being crushed into a million tiny pieces. I wanted to look at her and hold her so badly it hurt, but if this was the end, I didn't want to see her.

When I looked back, I saw Annabeth walking away. She would wipe her eyes occasionally, but she never looked back.

Not even once.


	7. Chapter 7

It was almost Christmas when I caught sight of Annabeth again.

I was walking around Rockefeller Center with Grover and Leo when I saw her down below ice skating.

She wore that grey beanie that she had on the last time I saw her, and she was skating around with a bunch of Jupiter Academy kids. They all were sporting a purple sweatshirt with the gold logo of their school on it underneath their North Faces like true preps.

I leaned against the railing and just stared at her. This was the closet known distance we had been since the zoo, and I wanted to enjoy it while I could.

"Hey, Perce, what are you—oh."

The sound of Grover's voice tore me away from Annabeth momentarily.

"You guys go on, I'll catch you later," I said.

Leo glanced down at the skating rink and shrugged.

"Your call man," Leo said.

Once they disappeared into the crowd, I looked back down at Annabeth and her group. Jason Grace was with them, and I could see him occasionally glancing up at the same spot. I followed his eyes and noticed Piper standing at the other side. I pushed my way through the crowd and stood next to her.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" I said.

"God, Percy, you scared me," Piper said.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"But yeah, it does." Piper looked back down at the Jupiter Academy squad with a forlorn look. "This feud is stupid."

I silently agreed with her and watched Annabeth as she laughed at something this muscular Asian kid said. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"So how are you and Annabeth doing?" Piper asked.

"We're not together anymore," I said.

"What?"

"After we saw you guys at the zoo, she ended it," I said.

Piper said nothing, and I was thankful for that. I didn't really like when people coddled a break-up. When I had visited my mom that fateful day, she cried on the couch with me. When I returned and told Grover and Leo, they brought me a new guitar, which I sounded pretty horrific on.

I stared at the group, feeling jealous when the Asian boy grabbed Annabeth's hand and tried to initiate skating around the rink with her. Jason glanced back up at Piper, and this time me. His brow furrowed and he gently tapped Annabeth. He muttered something in her ear, and her eyes immediately found mine.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as we made steady eye contact, and I fidgeted slightly. I had forgotten how beautiful Annabeth was, and the hole in my heart I had spent the past three months trying to repair reopened. I was never going to get over this girl, and nothing anyone did could ever change that.

"Oh, she's coming over here," Piper said, grabbing my jacket sleeve.

"What?" I asked.

Piper pointed at Annabeth who was skating over to the exit with Jason, their group staring at them in a clearly puzzled manor.

"How are things with you and Jason?" I asked, wanting to be in a conversation when Annabeth and Jason arrived.

"Good, actually. We meet outside of the city now, so no one can find us," Piper said.

"Isn't that a bit annoying?"

I glanced over Piper's shoulder, where I could see two blond heads bobbing their way through the crowd. My heart raced faster, and I could feel my palms sweating. Piper looked over her shoulder at the approaching Romans as I glanced down at the Jupiter Academy crowd below. They were standing in a large circle, occasionally glancing upwards to try and find their leaders. I had just spotted a weedy kid with blond hair when a hand suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crowd.

"The hell are you doing here Jackson?" Annabeth hissed as we weaved through the crowd.

"I didn't know you could skate," I said stupidly.

Even though her face was turned away from me, I knew she was rolling her eyes. I glanced down at our intertwined hands, and I realized I had forgotten how perfectly they fit.

Annabeth and Jason didn't say a word until we reached Sal's Pizza. Annabeth roughly opened the door and pulled me into the shop. Jason and Piper followed, Jason now having his arm slung around Piper with a smile on his face.

"What the hell was that?" Annabeth asked, turning on me.

"What? I can't just watch the skaters anymore?" I retorted.

"No, you can't just show up out of nowhere and god damnit you just can't!"

"Why not?" I retorted.

Annabeth glanced around the thankfully empty pizzeria before grabbing my wrist again and pulling me outside to the ally next to the shop. We stood in silence for a while, glaring at each other. Annabeth stood on her tiptoes a little so she could look me directly in the eyes, and I resisted the urge to grab and hold her.

"God damnit Jackson, I had just gone through a week without thinking about you and then you show up out of nowhere like some cruel joke," Annabeth said.

"Sorry Wise Girl, why don't I just call you next time to make sure we don't run into each other? Oh right, because you said no contact!" I said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She licked her lips once before sighing and leaning against the brick wall behind her.

"I'm sorry, you just surprised me," Annabeth said. "When Jase said you were up there, I didn't believe him, but then I looked over and there you were."

"I'm sorry too," I said. "I should have been more considerate. I was just excited to be able to see you again, even if it was from like, one hundred yards away."

Annabeth shrugged and looked down, playing with the zipper on her North Face. I gnawed at my lower lip when I saw how cute her outfit really was. The Jupiter Academy sweatshirt sort of ruined it, but other than she looked perfect. My perfect little Annabeth.

"Who was that kid you were laughing with before?"

"There were a lot of kids I was laughing at."

"The Asian kid."

Annabeth sucked in her cheeks for a second before laughing. "Oh, Frank."

I raised my eyebrows and she laughed some more.

"Nothing is going on between us," Annabeth said. "He's dating Hazel. He's way too loyal to cheat on her. And Hazel's one of my best friends, so I'd never do that to her."

I nodded thoughtfully before plucking some snow out of her hair. "So you're not seeing anyone?"

Annabeth shook her head, and I felt as if I could finally see a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

"Neither am I," I whispered.

I leaned forward and kissed Annabeth softly. We stood there for a little, before Annabeth pulled away and closed her eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Percy, we're just going in a circle," Annabeth said. "We'll never get anywhere if we continue with this."

I opened my mouth to protest, to use Jason and Piper as a prime example of how we could get everywhere, when I remembered what Piper had told me earlier. _We meet out of the city now._ Was it worth it to drive off the city every time we wanted to meet up? Was that really fair to her, to me?

I stepped back from Annabeth, the light at the end of the tunnel turning black and vague again. She looked at the ground and twisted her zipper around. I looked over at her and gnawed on my lip.

"But what if—"

"Percy, no." Annabeth shook her head and glanced over at the street. "We can text and call this time around, but we can't see each other. I'm sorry."

I leaned against the wall and tilted my head at her. I wanted to scream and throw a temper tantrum like I had when I was younger. I wanted to rip apart the city and the rule book and just _screw everything_.

"I'll see you around then," I said.

"Next Friday, actually," Annabeth said.

I gave her a funny look and she sighed.

"The big basketball game," Annabeth said. "The one to decide who goes on to districts."

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I forgot."

Annabeth nodded, and I gave her one last hug before turning and walking back to Half-Blood High.


	8. Chapter 8

I just wanted to thank you for the nice reviews! It's been really fun writing this. Also, I changed the ending on Chapter Seven because I couldn't think of how to continue with the plot the way it had ended before, so I apologize for that inconvenience to those whom it affects!

* * *

><p>"You used to love these big pranks."<p>

"Yeah, well, I don't anymore."

I turned on my side and refused to look at Grover and Leo anymore. They had come into the dorm with an awesome prank idea, but my heart wasn't in it.

"See, I knew we shouldn't have left you at the rink," Leo said. "Seeing Annabeth just reopened your wound."

I rolled my eyes and began to peel the paint on the wall. "Yeah, seeing Annabeth sucked. But I don't want to prank he-them for more than just Annabeth."  
>"But it's genius."<p>

I sat up straight and ran a hand through my hair. The prank was golden, there was no denying it. But I didn't want to do it, there were too many risks. But then again, maybe taking a couple of risks would make me feel more alive.

"Alright, fine, I'm in you assholes," I said.

Grover and Leo cheered and then pulled out our trunk full of Jupiter Academy spirit wear. I grabbed a Jupiter Academy sweatshirt and Leo and Grover pulled on a purple zip-up with the golden laurel wreath logo of Jupiter Academy on the back.

"How preppy do we look?" Leo asked, looking in the mirror.

"This isn't preppy," Grover said. "But it's past school hours so I doubt anyone is in their uniform."

"Let's go screw shit up!" Leo said, pumping his fist in the air.

* * *

><p>We arrived at Jupiter Academy at precisely nine-oh-one, which was fourteen minutes until curfew.<p>

"Alright, here's the plan. Avoid Jason Grace and Annabeth at all costs or else we're done," Leo said. "And if teachers ask, say that Professor Varus gave us a pass."

"Wait, they call their teachers 'professor?'" I said.

Leo rolled his eyes and muttered 'preps' before we filed out of the cab and ran up the steps and into enemy territory.

As we passed the front hall and took in all the benefits of money, I realized a couple of things. 1.) I had never been inside Jupiter Academy before so 2.) I had absolutely no idea where the hell I was going and that was going to be an issue because 3.) I was supposed to do most of the prank mission.

"What the hell is wrong with this place?" Grover muttered.

We followed his eyes into what I assumed was the cafeteria. They had wooden tables with seats that had cushions on them, and in the middle was a large ice sculpture of the laurel wreath with J.A.R written on it. Surrounding that was a table full of the best-looking desserts we had ever seen.

"Damn preps, why won't Ethana send me here?" Leo muttered.

"Who?"

"Annabeth's mom."

We moved past the cafeteria and up the staircase (which, if you're wondering, was made of marble). In one of the rooms straight on was the library. It stood two stories high and there were a bunch of kids inside it. I glanced around and spotted that Frank kid sitting with a girl who had cinnamon-colored hair. Around the corner, I saw Annabeth. I stopped immediately, and watched her.

She was wearing the Jupiter Academy uniform and her hair was in one of those French braids. She wore those glasses she had worn on our zoo date, and she was tapping her pencil against the side of the desk while reading books.

"Come on, get a move on," Leo said, grabbing my hand.

We jogged down the corridor and to the boy's locker room. When we closed the door behind us, we all just froze. The locker room was huge, and it had a whole wall full of trophies and pictures over the years. On the other side was a TV that showed each player on the teams and when each game was.

"Damn preps!" Leo said again.

He dropped his backpack on to one of the wooden (mahogany) benches and began to pull out the saran wrap. He handed a box to Grover and then gave me the rest of the bag.

"Alright, Annabeth told me once that all the guys' dorms are on the third floor," Leo said. "So once they're all in bed, you roll this across and tape the ends with this duct tape."

"Got it," I said.

We gave each other a quick salute when the curfew bell rang. We all nodded once to each other, and I noticed that Leo and Grover held eye contact longer than usual.

"Good luck," I said before turning and leaving the locker room.

* * *

><p>When I reached the third floor, it was nearly ten o'clock. I had gotten lost on my way to the stair case, and then I had to hide in a closet when I heard people approaching.<p>

I set the backpack down and began to saran wrap the first door when a flashlight flashed.

"Hold it, who are you?"

I squinted my eyes and held up a hand when the hallway lights flickered on. A skinny kid with blond hair and a crazy look in his eyes was standing in front of me. He wore the Jupiter Academy uniform and along with the badge of what grade he was in, he also had a pin that read SR.

"Are you Octavian?" I asked.

"I might be. Who are you?"

"I'm uh, I'm Caleb. Caleb Evans," I said.

Octavian frowned at me and looked down at the saran wrap in my hand.

"We don't have a Caleb Evans," he said slowly.

"Oh, well, I'm new," I said. "And I was friends with this, uh, this guy in this dorm, so I thought I should prank him."

Octavian narrowed his eyes and stepped closer when a voice behind me said.

"What are you two doing up? It's past curfew."

My heart sank a little and I kept my eyes forward as Octavian tilted his head to the side.

"I just caught this new kid out after curfew, Annabeth," Octavian said. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're out pretty late yourself, aren't you?"

"Because I'm in the council, we patrol at night, which is something you'll never know," Annabeth snapped.

Octavian opened his mouth to respond but shut it quickly. I heard Annabeth's footsteps get closer, and I knew it was all over.

"I just caught two Spartans in the second floor hallway on their way to pull some prank. So this one is either another Spartan trying to pull some immature prank, or he is really a new kid."

"Spartans?" Octavian asked.

"Yeah, Spartans. Grover Underwood and Leo Valdez," Annabeth said, her voice sounded less than three yards away.

"Where are they now?"

"Reyna has them in her office. Go to bed, Octavian, I'll handle this," Annabeth said.

Octavian glared at me before storming off down the hall and into a room.

"What the hell, Jackson?" Annabeth demanded.

I turned to face her and opened my mouth to apologize, but she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the staircase.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Reyna's, you'll join Grover and Leo," Annabeth said.

We walked in silence up the stairs, and I shoved my hands in my pocket.

"We're here," Annabeth said.

We stopped at a large door with brass handles.

"Are you coming in with me?"

"No, I have to go and patrol."

She then turned and walked briskly away from me. I watched her go and puffed out my cheeks. I wished I had never submitted to this stupid prank.

I opened the door and was surprised by the sight. There were large windows with a glorious look over the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge. Smack in the middle was a large desk with an incredibly comfy looking chair, which was currently being used by a girl with glossy black hair. To the left was a small alcove with a personal library and seating area, and to the right was a larger table with chairs all around it for meetings.

"And you're Percy Jackson," the girl said without looking up. "I'm Reyna Avila, and I've heard a lot about you."

"Percy!"

I looked to my left to see Leo and Grover's faces pop up from behind the couch. They both grinned widely and waved.

"Who caught you?" Leo asked.

"Annabeth did," I said.

Leo's smile faded from his face, and Grover looked confused. Reyna looked up from her work and gestured for me to sit down.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you two," Reyna said. "She really liked you."  
>"Liked?"<p>

Reyna shrugged and clasped her hands together.

"She hasn't talked about you much since the break-up, so I don't really know where you stand," Reyna said.

"What did you want to see me here for?" I asked.

"Nothing bad, really. I just need to establish some sort of punishment for you three or else I'm not a 'loyal' Roman," Reyna said. "But it'll be easy, I promise."

Leo groaned and Reyna rolled her eyes.

"Just fill out these detention slips and you're free to go," Reyna said. "It should only take a couple of minutes."

I grabbed the papers she handed me and began to fill them out.

"So how did it go with my sister?" Leo asked as he filled out his own.

"It was pretty quiet," I admitted.

"Ah, man, I'm sorry," Leo said.

I shrugged and filled out the rest of the detention slips, signaling the end of the conversation.

A half hour later, we handed Reyna back her papers and she seemed pretty impressed.

"That should have only taken ten minutes," Reyna said. "You managed to triple that."

"Hey, we're prankers, not miracle workers," Leo said.

Reyna rolled her eyes but let a smile creep on to her face.

"You can go," she said.

Leo and Grover went to a side room to grab their jackets when I handed Reyna a letter I had written.

"Can you give this to Annabeth for me?" I asked.

Reyna took the letter and flipped it over a couple of times before nodding. "Sure, Percy. Good luck on Friday, I'm not one for sports but I hope you do well."


	9. Chapter 9

The night of the big game, I sat alone in the locker room. I was staring at the play board that Hedge had drawn up, which made me the play maker in most of them.

I had been playing awfully the whole entire week, so I was surprised that Hedge was even putting me in.

"Percy?"

I turned my head to the door to see Annabeth standing there. She sported a neutral grey shirt that was loose on her and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a few curly strands of hair framing her face.

"Annabeth, what the hell?" I asked.

"Leo told me you were playing bad, and I figured since I was sort of a fault for that, I should see you to make a closure," Annabeth said.

"Yeah? Just before the game?" I asked.

Annabeth swung her backpack around and began to rummage through it.

"Why do you have such a crappy backpack when you attend Jupiter Academy?"

"It was my dad's old backpack, and it's one of the last items of his I have," Annabeth said.

"What do you mean?"

Annabeth stopped rummaging for a second and looked up at me.

"My dad was a failed scientist. He was working for the government on something, he was pretty well-known, and he was working on this experiment that went horribly wrong and he died," she said. "I don't like to use my last name because most people immediately connect me to him, and I don't like the sympathy. It's not real, it's fake."

"You feel like it's insulting his memory by using your last name?"

"I guess so, yeah. Nobody cares about who my dad was or how he lived," she said. "They only care about how he died and why. It's just annoying."

I heard her choke on her words and I resisted the urge to hug her. Leo had warned me that Annabeth would most likely be attending the game, and I shouldn't initiate any kind of contact.

"Anyways, Reyna gave me that letter you wrote," Annabeth said. "So I thought I should give this to you, just to give closure."

She handed me a cream-colored envelope with a purple wax seal on the front. I ran my thumb over the seal for a second before laughing.

"A wax seal? Little preppy, isn't it?" I said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and shouldered her backpack so it was more supported.

"Also, good luck tonight, I hope you play well," Annabeth said.

"Thanks. Aren't you going to stay and watch?"

Annabeth sagged her shoulders before shaking her head.

"No, I'm going to visit my mom. I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving, so it would be nice," Annabeth said.

"Have fun," I said.

"Thanks." She gave me a small smile and then left.

I watched the door swing a little before sitting down on a bench and opening the letter. Annabeth's would-have-been neat handwriting was nearly illegible, and it took me almost five minutes to get through the first half.

"Perce, three minutes until game time," Grover called.

"Alright, give me a minute," I said.

I skimmed the rest of the letter when I read the last sentence, and everything seemed to freeze. Grover's indistinct talking clouded my ears and I vaguely heard the crowd outside yelling and jeering. The only thing that was clearly audible was the sound of my heart thumping.

"Where's Leo?" I asked.

"Outside, why?"

I pushed past Grover and out on to the court. The Spartan side of the gym sported all blue and orange and there were many signs depicting Spartan warriors beheading Romans. On the Roman side, all of the preps wore their school uniforms with a cardboard Roman gladius and a feathered helmet.

"Leo! Hey, Leo!" I yelled once I found him in the stands. I began to run up the stairs to where he was at, ignoring the cheers and pats on the back I was receiving from my fellow peers.

"Perce! What the hell are you doing over here?" Leo bellowed. "You should be down _there_."

"Doesn't matter, where does Annabeth live?" I asked.

Leo blinked a few times before saying.

"East 96th street in Carnegie Hill."

"Number?"

"314. Percy, what the hell are you—where are you going?"

I didn't reply as I raced back down the stairs. Hedge grabbed my jacket and pulled me into the team huddle, shoving the game ball into my abdomen.

"Jackson, you're playmaker, so get your head straight—"

"Coach, I have to bail," I said.

Hedge blinked a couple of times before laughing.

"Jackson, this is the final game before districts and you're bailing on me?"

I nodded earnestly and tossed the ball to Nico Di Angelo.

"You're on Nico, don't fuck shit up," I said.

I turned and raced away from the team yelling at me to come back, away from the student sections yelling either insults or questions at me. I sprinted down the hall and out the front doors. I looked around rapidly for a taxi cab, but none were in sight.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I yelled.

People looked over at me disapprovingly, but I ignored them and took off running towards 96th street, clutching Annabeth's letter tightly in hand.

* * *

><p>By the time I arrived at Annabeth's apartment, I had almost been killed four times and ran about three red lights.<p>

I leaned on the front railing of her apartment steps and heaved for a second before walking up the stairs. I stood there for a good five minutes, and then I knocked on the door.

I saw movement behind the curtain on the window to my right, and then I heard the sound of a door being unlocked.

When it opened, I was facing a middle-aged woman with dark hair and Annabeth's grey eyes. She stood straight and tall, and wore very elegant clothing.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Is Annabeth here?" I asked.

The woman studied me for a couple of seconds before nodding her head.

"She's upstairs in her room, come in."

I followed her mother into the kitchen, where Leo's dad was tinkering with some sort of machine on the counter.

"Heratio, we have a guest," Ethana said.

Mr. Valdez looked up from his work and smiled.

"Percy! Good to see you again," he said.

"I'll get Annabeth for you, hold on a second," Ethana said.

She walked to the staircase on the left and Mr. Valdez waved his screw driver around.

"I'm building a model airplane for Leo," he explained. "He was failing mechanics so I figured if I built this for him and then sent it for him to take apart, he'd get it."

"That's cool," I said.

I heard a door open and then the sound of someone thundering down the steps.

"A boy's here to see you." I heard Ethana say in a hushed voice.

"What? Mom, why would you—"

Annabeth looked into the kitchen and stopped mid-sentence. She wore a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. Her glasses were a little lopsided and her hair was still in that messy ponytail.

"Hey, Wise Girl," I croaked.

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply when Ethana spoke.

"Horatio, do you want to go on a walk with me?"

Mr. Valdez said nothing, but I assumed he agreed because he shuffled past me a minute later.

After the door closed, Annabeth's face turned red and she backed away.

"God, Percy, what the hell? Shouldn't you be out there kicking Roman ass?" She said.

"I just wanted closure," I said.

"Wasn't the letter enough?"

"It's what brought me here! This letter isn't closure at all, Wise Girl."

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair before crossing her arms. She narrowed her eyes and I began to take small steps forward.

"This letter isn't closure," I repeated. "You wrote that you love me. _Love_. That's present tense."

"God, I know about the different tenses," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

"So you'd know 'loved' is the past tense," I said.

Annabeth closed her mouth and avoided eye contact. I was closing the gap between us steadily, and I felt my heart pounding harder and harder.

"I thought if I wrote it down on paper then I'd stop feeling that way," she said. "I thought it would just be like telling Rey that I love her, but it's not."

"Because you love Reyna in a different way," I said.

Annabeth nodded slowly, and finally, _finally_, I was a foot from her.

"Did you mean everything you said in your letter?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course I did," I said. "God, Annabeth, I hate this feud. It's been driving me crazy these past few months and I just don't give a damn about it anymore."

"Percy, if the schools found out—"

"You know what? Damn the schools," I said. "What have they ever done for us? You said it yourself, the pranks and stuff are immature."

"I didn't—that doesn't mean I don't like them," Annabeth muttered.

"But why should us going to different schools stop us?" I asked.

"Because of the punish—"

"Spartan Marathon? Screw it, I don't care if it's thirteen miles I run or one hundred," I said. "I only do it once."

"The Romans make you polar bear swim in the outdoor pool," Annabeth said.

"What the hell? You have an outdoor pool?" I said.

"On the sixth floor, year," Annabeth said.

"God, damn you preps," I said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and I smiled at her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and closed the gap.

"God, you're freezing," Annabeth whispered.

"I just ran out in like...32 degree weather so warm me up," I said, nuzzling her neck.

"My knight in shining armor," Annabeth whispered.

I laughed and pulled her closer. Every bone in my body was completely numb, and these warm-up suits did absolutely nothing.

"So we'll face the consequences?" I asked.

"As long as we're together," Annabeth answered.


	10. Chapter 10: Epilogue

Two years later:

"Do you have it?"

"No—god—no! Annabeth, don't let go!"

Annabeth laughed and grasped my hand tighter. I stumbled forward a bit, and she pushed on my chest to bring me back up.

"You suck at this," she said.

I glanced over at our friends, who were all pointing and laughing at us.

"Thanks, Wise Girl," I said. "You could never become any smarter."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and moved us closer to the wall.

"Just one lap around the rink and then you can say you ice skated," Annabeth said.

"I don't even want to do one," I said.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain, you're like three yards away."

"More like three miles."

Annabeth laughed and urged me to go faster. I began to glide a little and waved my free arm around like a maniac.

"Stop that, you're throwing yourself off balance," Annabeth said.

"Sorry, I can't help it," I said.

I leaned against the wall and brought Annabeth with me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and put our foreheads together.

"I don't know about you, but I really don't want to rejoin the group," I said.

"If we complete a lap, we can ditch them," Annabeth said.

"Really?"

"Sure, what the hell do they care?"

I smiled and kissed her, pulling her closer to me.

"HEY! JACKSON, THAT'S MY SISTER!"

I pulled apart from Annabeth and glanced over at Leo. He had his arm around Calypso, who was playfully punching his arm while giving him a stern talk.

"Definitely…definitely want to ditch them," Annabeth said, closing her eyes.

I nodded and felt my coat pocket for the small velvet box resting there.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

I got down on one knee and pulled out the box.

"I love you, Annabeth whatever-your-damn-last-name-is, will you marry me?"

"Chase."

"What…what about him?"

"No, my last name is Chase."

I rose to my feet and looked at her. Chase…her father was Frederick Chase, the one who had died and made the newspapers when I was in sixth grade. Finally, after two years, I finally knew what her last name was. Chase.

"Would you marry me, Annabeth Chase?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded, and I slipped the ring on her finger. I kissed her again, and I heard our friends cheering from across the rink.

"Want to know something I don't regret as much as coming out to this rink?" I asked Annabeth as we began to shuffle our way to the exit.

"What?"

"Running ten miles for you."

"And I guess I don't regret contracting hypothermia for you."

"Really?"

"No, I do regret doing the damn plunge but having you look after me while I was sick wasn't half that bad."

"I love you, Wise Girl."

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain."

We rejoined our group and Jason gave me a good back pat and the girls admired Annabeth's ring, which I had done surprisingly well on. After a couple of minutes, I grabbed Annabeth's hand and led her away from the group.

"I think you promised to ditch those losers," I said.

"I guess I did."

I slid my arm around her waist and she leaned into me, and together we set off on our own, with infinite possibilities in front of us.


End file.
